Rally Poland (25-28 June 2009) – Preview The Citroën Junior Team faces new territory The Citroën Junior Team will field three C4 WRCs on the Rally Poland for Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt, Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia. The eighth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship will take place in Mikołajki from 25-28 June. The FIA World Rally Championship returns to Poland this season. Back in 1973, when the World Rally Championship calendar was first created, Rally Poland was one of the first events that welcomed the crews, although only three entrants managed to make the finish! Now, 36 years later, the Citroën Junior Team will tackle a brand new event based in Mikołajki. Rally Poland was run for the first time in 1921; making it the second-oldest rally in the history of the sport after Monte Carlo and it has always enjoyed a high level of popularity. The rally takes place in the region around the Mazurian Lakes, on gravel roads that promise high average speeds. As was the case in Italy and Greece, Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt and Evgeny Novikov/ Dale Moscatt have been nominated to score manufacturer points for the Citroën Junior Team, which is currently fourth in the World Championship. Conrad Rautenbach and Daniel Barritt, who finished fifth on the Acropolis Rally, will be getting to grips with this new event for the first time. « I don’t know Poland at all and I know the rally even less » he said. « From what I have understood, the roads there are going to be quick. If the route looks anything like Finland then I’ll be happy, because I love those types of roads. We learnt a lot in Greece and I can’t wait get stuck back into the action again! » Having scored their first points in Sardinia, Evgeny Novikov and Dale Moscatt were the best performers on the Acropolis Rally with four fastest stage times. The young Russian, whose potential is clear to see, hopes once more to exhibit his talent on this new event. « It’s a new rally for everyone and a great opportunity for us to show our speed » he commented. « I can’t wait to get to the start so that we can continue making progress. » By finishing second in Greece, their first podium with the Citroën C4 WRC, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia returned to the top 10 of the championship before making the trip over to Poland. « Our objectives haven’t changed, » he concluded. « Poland will be a different type of rally but it will be just as difficult. We are going to maintain the same strategy in order to accumulate as much experience as possible and be sure of getting to the finish. We took a lot away from Greece and our goal is to try and drive the same sort of event in Poland. » Three questions to… Sébastien Ogier Did you expect to finish second in Greece ? « It’s a nice reward for everyone’s hard work since the start of the season. We’ve gained a lot of experience on some very different rallies. The team has worked really hard to iron out our small problems and we’ve also been able to learn from our mistakes. We always knew though that all the hard work was going to pay off sooner or later. But I’m very happy that we have achieved this result on only the seventh rally of the year. » Do you think that getting onto the podium of a World Championship event could mark a turning point for you? « I honestly believe that this result will allow us to approach the next few rallies more serenely. After the start we had to the season, we felt a bit of pressure. We need to demonstrate now that we deserve our place in the WRC. Our second place in Greece did us a lot of favours but the battle is far from won. We have to keep going now in the same way. » You took part in the recce for Rally Poland in 2008. What are the characteristics of the rally route? « The Rally Poland is a new event for all the crews, so we all come to it with the same basic level of knowledge. This at least means that we have one disadvantage less to deal with. The route is very quick on quite gravelly roads, and I think that the surface will degrade as more competitors drive past. It’s going to be a good rally that is quite similar to Finland but without the crests. On the whole, the scenery is much flatter. It’s not going to be an easy event but none of the rallies on the World Championship ever are. » Useful information Rally Poland (round 8/12) (25– 28 June) Surface : gravel Where : Mikołajki Practical information : The HQ and Media Centre are located at the Gołebiewski Hotel in Mikołajki. There is no time difference between Poland and Central Europe. On the first day of the rally, Friday 26 June, the sun will rise at 04:15 and set at 21:01. The local currency is the Zloty (1 Euro = 4.40 PLN). Technical : The three Citroën C4 WRCs are equipped with engines that were used in Greece and will have to be used again in Finland. Tyres : A total of 36 Pirelli Scorpion tyres will be put at the disposal of each crew for the rally while six are available for the shakedown. Competitors are allowed to carry two spare wheels and cutting the tyres is forbidden. Reconnaissance : This will take place on Tuesday 23 June and Wednesday 24 June from 08:00 to 19:00 with a maximum of two passes over each special stage. The maximum speed allowed is 70kph, unless local road signs indicate a lower limit. Shakedown : Thursday 25 June between 08:00 and 12:00 at Mikołajki, using a 3.80-kilometre long stage located 3.40 kilometres from the service park. Press conference : Thursday 25 June at 13:30 in the Media Centre. Route : The rally route is 1024.38 km long, of which 352.00 km are competitive. In total there are 18 special stages (9 different stages). Timing : Day 1 – Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June : 302.87 km of which 113.20 km are competitive (7 stages, 4 different stages). Start Thursday 25 June at 19:00 – SS1 : ‘Mikołajki’ (2.5 km) – Parc fermé in at 20:12 – Parc fermé out on Friday 26 at 09:00 – Service A (09:00/15 min) – SS2 : ‘Grabowka’ (12.09 km) – SS3 : ‘Pianki’ (11.34 km) – SS4 : ‘Paprotki’ (33.17 km) – Regrouping (12:40/15 min) – Service B (12:55/30 min) – SS5 : ‘Grabowka’ (12.09 km) – SS6 : ‘Pianki’ (11.34 km) – SS7 : ‘Paprotki’ (33.17 km) – Service C (16:53/45 min) – Last car into parc fermé at 20:00. Day 2 - Saturday 27 June : 423.64 km of which 149.44 km are competitive (6 stages, 3 different stages). Service D (09:00/15 min) – SS8 : ‘Danowo’ (11.88 km) – SS9 : ‘Gawliki’ (32.75 km) – SS10 : ‘Wydminy’ (30.09 km) – Regrouping (13:34/15 min) – Service E (13:49/30 min) – SS11 : ‘Danowo’ (11.88 km) – SS12 : ‘Gawliki’ (32.75 km) – SS13 : ‘Wydminy’ (30.09 km) – Service F (18:41/45 min) – Last car into parc fermé at 22:00. Day 3 - Sunday 28 June : 294.65 km of which 86.86 km are competitive (5 stages, 3 different stages). Service G (06:30/15 min) – SS14: ‘Miłki’ (27.07 km) – SS15 : ‘Tros’ (15.11 km) – Regrouping (09:58/15 min) – Service H (10:13/30 min) – SS16 : ‘Miłki’ (27.07 km) – SS17 : ‘Tros’ (15.11 km) – SS18 : ‘Mikolajki’ (2.50 km) – Finish at 14:54. Final podium : Sunday 28 June, from 14:56. Final press conference : Sunday 14 June at 15:30 in the Media Centre. The crews before this rally : Conrad Rautenbach : First WRC rally : Monte-Carlo 04 (ret.) – WRC rallies : 51. Daniel Barritt : First WRC rally : Great Britain 00 (ret.) – WRC rallies : 32. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia : First WRC rally : Mexico 08 (C2 S1600 / 8 th , 1 st JWRC) – WRC rallies : 15 – Junior World Rally Champion : 2008 (C2 S1600). Evgeny Novikov : First WRC rally : Great Britain 07 (ret.) – WRC rallies : 12. Dale Moscatt : First WRC rally : Australia 99 (ret.) – WRC rallies : 15 . Please visit our dedicated WRC website : www.citroen-wrc.com with exclusive content, live results, and video interviews with team members Copyright-free photographs are available for media use at : www.citroenracingphotos.com User : citroenracing Password : wrc09 Press contacts Citroën Racing Communication : Marie-Pierre Rossi (email : [email protected] – Tel : +33 676 870 212) Marek Nawarecki (email : [email protected] – Tel: +33 685 264 518) Versailles, 19 June 2009 .